A comparison of teacher and student perceptions of cultural proficiency at the high-school level

This study focuses on the current perceptions of cultural proficiency. Through analysis of teacher and student perceptions from three public high schools in the greater Los Angeles area, the cultural proficiency of teachers is examined.;This research is significant because currently, African-American and Latino students from working-class backgrounds academically underperform compared to their White and Asian middle-class counterparts. One reason for this achievement gap is because American schools are built around the beliefs and values of White middle-class America. Therefore, students raised in the same cultural background embodied in the school system and valued by educators have an inherent advantage over those who come from a home culture that does not reflect the values of American public education.;Data are collected in this empirical study via questionnaires completed by both teachers and students at the three urban high schools. The population sample of this study is comprised of 195 teachers and 532 students. The students and educators rate the teacher's and the school's cultural proficiency on a 6-point continuum, rate values and beliefs associated with cultural proficiency on a 4-point Likert scale, and write out their own beliefs regarding cultural proficiency in a free-response question.;These data show that teachers perceive themselves to be more culturally proficient than the students perceive the teachers to be. Teachers also perceive the school as a whole to be more culturally proficient than the students do.;Those teachers who perceive themselves as culturally proficient do not express the many values and beliefs inherent in cultural proficiency, while teachers who do not rate themselves as being culturally proficient do recognize the values and beliefs of cultural proficiency. This leads to the conclusion that those teachers who perceive themselves to be culturally proficient are actually less culturally proficient than teachers who do not perceive themselves to be culturally proficient.;Asian teachers are the only group in this study who articulate that cultural proficiency is not important. Overall, both students and teachers do find cultural proficiency to be important. They feel that valuing the diversity between student and school cultures improves a student's connection and belonging to the school.